Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 55.5% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
live 20.2 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 87.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
have 95.9% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
have 56.8% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
make 85.8% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.7 times more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 43.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.8% less likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 82.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iran, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 83.9% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 62.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iran, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.1% less on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 76.8% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 8.4 times more likely to be murdered
Iran has a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2014. In Central African Republic, that number is 20.1 per 100,000 as of 2016.
be 25.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 99.3% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 92.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.